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Looking for some Scottish gifts for a loved one? Take a little piece of Scotland home with you with one of these trusted Scottish brands
The best places to buy Scottish gifts, from Scotland
Lochcarron of Scotland
With a story stretching back to 1892, Lochcarron of Scotland is the world’s leading manufacturer of tartan, and a label any Scottish person would be proud to have in their wardrobe. Lochcarron’s skilled craftspeople handmake its tartan and tweed in the company’s weaving textile mill in Selkirk, in the Scottish Borders. Woven using natural, renewable and biodegradable fibres, Lochcarron products are built to last a lifetime. Whether you’re looking for a traditional Highland dress, a beautifully soft tartan lambswool scarf, or a wonderfully warm tartan jacket for the winter, with over 500 authentic Scottish tartans on offer, Lochcarron will take you from kilt to catwalk.
The Highland Soap Company
Hebridean seaweed, Scottish bog myrtle, Highland lavender or wild Scottish raspberry; just a few of the natural and delicious scents on offer from family-run maker of soap and skincare, The Highland Soap Company. Handmade in its Highland workshop, which is nestled between 13th-century Old Inverlochy Castle and the River Lochy, and overlooking Ben Nevis’s north face, the products are inspired by the brand’s beautiful Highlands setting. Handmade using a centuries old process, with many ingredients wild-harvested, each of the products are natural, organic and sustainable, and good for your skin. Choose from soaps, bath and body products, skincare, or home fragrances, or take home a selection of all, in one of the ready-made sets or gift boxes.
Shortbread House of Edinburgh
Coming from a Scottish family with a strong baking heritage, Shortbread House of Edinburgh is a baking dynasty, producing some of the finest, butteriest and crumbliest shortbread in all of Scotland. With parents and children alike in on the baking business, the company produces and sells its award-winning biscuits in the heart of historic Edinburgh, and now ships them all over the world. Whether you’re after a traditional and unbeatable Scottish shortbread round, or something a little different, such as the intriguing Earl Grey tea shortbread collection, or the Christmas shortbread, we’re sure you’ll be back for more time and time again.
shortbreadhouse.co.uk; or for US readers, thescottishgrocer.com
Arran Sense of Scotland
Celebrating the untouched, natural ingredients that can be found on the Isle of Arran, combining to produce vibrant, evocative scents that are uniquely Scottish, and, uniquely Arran, the ARRAN Sense of Scotland bath and body, hand care, skincare, fragrance and home products capture the true sense of wild and remote Scotland. The company’s aim is to help the world reconnect with nature, and its fresh, natural scents and ingredients will transport you to their island home, including seaweed and sage, Glen Iorsa lavender, and its signature fragrance After the Rain, which captures the scent of a summer garden after a rain shower on the island. The candles and reed diffusers, in particular, are the perfect way to bring Arran home with you.
The Balvenie
As the only whisky distillery in Scotland that still grows and malts its own barley, that uses traditional floor maltings and keeps both a coppersmith and a team of coopers on site, Balvenie whisky can claim to be the most hand-crafted of single malts in all of Scotland. The distillery’s whiskymaking process is dedicated to maintaining the Five Rare Crafts (home-grown barley, a malting floor, copper stills, cooperage, and a Malt Master) and their skilled craftsmen, which includes Malt Master David C Stewart MBE, have a dedicated understanding of their materials. Their commitment to craftsmanship brings skill and passion to the whisky, which can be tasted in every golden drop.
The best shops in Edinburgh
Here’s our pick of three of the best shops in Edinburgh, for buying all your Scottish gifts:
Multrees Walk
The definition of Scottish luxury retail, Multrees Walk, just off St Andrew Square in Edinburgh, is home to some of the finest designer brands, as well as Scotland’s only Harvey Nichols, and is where you can buy Shortbread House of Edinburgh.
St James Quarter
St James Quarter is Edinburgh’s newest shopping area, and a haven for any shopaholic. Stop into its John Lewis to stock up on whisky and Scottish treats.
House of Bruar
Situated in rural Perthshire, House of Bruar is an essential pilgrimage for anyone with an interest in Scottish country fashion and goods. Shop clothing, gifts, food and, of course, whisky.
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